Abstract
The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 3rd Series, Vol. iii., pt. 3.—Allotments and Small Holdings, by Sir J. B. Lawes and Dr. Gilbert. The authors have collected statistics relating to Allotments and Small Holdings in Great Britain. They point out that “within the present century there has been a great reduction in the number both of owners and of occupiers of farms not exceeding 50 acres in area, such as it seems to be the object of the promoters of the Small Holdings Act of 1892 greatly to increase.” After noticing the Rothamstead Allotments they proceed to discuss the conditions essential to the success of small holdings, and they conclude that ordinary rotation farming is much less suitable for small holdings than dairy farming, the production of poultry and eggs, and market gardening when favourable conditions exist; the authors do not believe, however, that the system of small holdings will materially check the influx of agricultural labourers into the towns. This number of the Journal also contains a short article by W. H. Hall on Small Holdings in France. Mr. Hall is “convinced that small holders (in England) have a great future before them as soon as they can be educated up to producing such articles as require to be consumed fresh, and will not bear long carriage.” This last clause contains the key of the whole matter.—On the Vermin of the Farm, pt. ii., by J, E. Harting. In this paper the author has much to say in defence of the mole (talpa euroœa) and of the weasel (mustela vulgaris); there is little but condemnation, however, for the hedgehog, the stoat, and the polecat; the last-mentioned animal is now hardly known to most people, though the domesticated variety (the ferret) is common.—The Warwick Meeting of 1892, by Dr. Fream, Official Reporter. This report shows the meeting to have been a good average one, except in the attendance of visitors on the last two days. Judge's reports show that in many cases the quality of the exhibits of live stock was far above the average.—Miscellaneous Implements Exhibited at Warwick, by T. H. Thursfield.—The Farm Prize Competition of 1892, by J. B. Ellis.—Among the shorter articles is one deserving of careful attention, entitled New Modes of Disposing of Fruit and Vegetables, by Chas. White-head, in which are discussed the “evaporating” and the “canning” of fruit; methods already in use in Queensland are described and discussed with reference to their adoption in this country when prices for fresh fruit are low.—Dr. J. W. Leather contributes a short article upon his method of detecting and estimating “castor-oil seeds in cattle foods.” A weighed quantity of the suspected food is digested with hot dilute sulphuric acid (or HC1, about 2 p.c.) for half an hour, washed free from acid, re-digested with a hot dilute solution of caustic soda, washed, and then finally treated with a quantity of bleaching powder. The husks of all seeds other than castor-oil seeds are bleached by this treatment, and any unbleached husks can be picked out and weighed.
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Scientific Serials. Nature 46, 602 (1892). https://doi.org/10.1038/046602b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/046602b0